Paris (AFP)
Faced with the multiple revelations of cases of sexual violence which shake up French sport, amateur clubs say they are spared by a surge of anxiety and explain how they prevent the risk with the means at hand.
Figure skating, with in particular the testimony of former champion Sarah Abitbol, then horse riding, climbing, skiing or even athletics: the accumulation of cases of sexual violence that surfaced in just three weeks is unprecedented and will be at the center of 'a convention organized by the Ministry of Sports on Friday.
However, in clubs, there is no surge of concern.
"No parent came to us to tell us that he was worried," reports director of the Ile-de-France omakports club in Malakoff, Thierry Bardaud, who has some 5,000 licensees, a hundred volunteer coaches and a sixty employees.
Mother of a young footballer from the Mouans-Sartoux (Alpes-Maritimes) club, with a particularly well-developed female section (20% of the nearly 700 licensees), Julie Sinègre is "not at all worried" for her daughter of about ten years, and even "rather happy that it fares". "It will clean up the environment (sports), free speech," she hopes to AFP.
What reassures the mother is that "the girls' coaches are women". "Otherwise I would be a little more scared, especially when traveling," she admits.
"I would be more afraid if it was a high level, where you entrust your child for long periods, where a relationship of dependence can settle and the trainer have a grip", she still distinguishes .
- Trust -
"I don't think it will undermine confidence," said club president Patrick Humbert.
"It's good that it is coming out in the open. The federations have changed a lot in the past ten years on the prevention of radicalization. Now they are going to move on that," he added.
Because if all are aware of the risk, several clubs share the feeling of not having been particularly sensitized until then on the fight against sexual violence. And so do, on their scale, with the means at hand to protect themselves from it.
First, by surrounding the young girls with educators and with female support, as far as possible.
Also by putting in place empirical precautions.
"We try to avoid risky situations. A dad who changes his daughter in the locker room is no", illustrates to AFP Véronique Ribaucourt, president of US Joigny, a sports club in Yonne with 2,000 members, ten educators and a hundred volunteers.
As for the young gymnasts "who navigate the corridors in leotards, we explain to them that this is not ideal", she continues.
At the Omarès omnisports club (2,400 members), in Gironde, the problem of "a little too busy changing room" has been managed so that adults and children "do not meet too easily", explains its director Benjamin Marchesseau.
Elsewhere, no movement accompanied by a single adult, or a man is prohibited from entering the locker room alone.
- Control -
But beyond the daily management, there is the question of controlling supervisors, and in particular volunteers. Without doubt one of the subjects of the ministerial convention to come.
If the background of professional educators is systematically checked, this is not the case for volunteers. At best - but not always - they sign a declaration of good repute. "But that's it. We have no way of controlling them," sums up Claude Brunet, who chairs the AS des Couronneries, a popular club of 300 licensees in Poitiers. "That is not all, it remains a piece of paper that is signed," adds Mr. Marchesseau, who specifies that "in fact, many coaches coach without having done any training".
Some clubs, like that of Malakoff, have taken the lead on possible future legislation and are already requesting a criminal record from their volunteers.
"If tomorrow we are asked to make it compulsory (this background check) for volunteers, I would find it normal. But it can be difficult to ask that of parents who take their time to help the club," says Ms. Ribaucourt .
And possible aggressors "can pass through" justice, underlines Mr. Brunet. This would make the process futile.
"We can take a maximum of measures, but there is still a big question mark, loose to AFP the president of the club of Mouans-Sartoux, Robert Vuillen. Unfortunately, we never know people thoroughly, we do can never be completely sure. "
arb-eba-fcc-es / cha / av
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